Galapagos travel & vacations: Galapagos islands tour without the liveaboard Galapagos boat

Wednesday - Arrive Quito
Your trip begins in Ecuador's capital city, Quito. If you're flying in on day one of the trip, your ACTIVE SOUTH AMERICA trip leader will meet you at the airport at 2pm and take you to your accommodation. You'll have the rest of the afternoon to explore this amazing city with its beautiful town squares, quaint cafés and colonial architecture. Quito sits in a beautiful valley surrounded by towering volcanoes just 14 miles from the Equator, giving it a mild, spring-like climate year round. In the evening you'll meet your trip leader and the rest of your group for a full briefing before our first dinner together.
ACCOMMODATION: Character Hotel, Quito (D)

Thursday - Cycle San Cristobal highlands
This morning we'll take a short flight to San Cristobal, the easternmost island of the Galapagos Islands chain and home of the provincial capital, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. After lunch we'll head to the town of La Soledad and bike down through the lush highland cloud forest that blankets the top of the island. With stunning views of the coast, we'll ride all the way to Mann Beach – one of the most beautiful beaches in the Galapagos. We'll also check out La Lobería – a nearby beach that is home to a large sea lion colony and nursery. You're not likely to see this many sea lions in one place anywhere else in the world! This evening, we'll dine on local produce and fresh fish for our first evening meal in the Galapagos Islands.
ACCOMMODATION: Casablanca Hotel, San Cristobal (B,L,D)

Friday - Snorkel or dive with seals and manta rays at Kicker Rock
Today we'll take our boat out to Isla Lobos off the coast of San Cristobal, where we'll don wetsuits, snorkels and masks (and tanks for the divers – diving option add US$160) and explore the underwater world for a close up view of sea lions as they fish for their dinner! Isla Lobos is the main sea lion and blue-footed booby colony in the area, as well as being home to the endemic lava lizard. After a swim with the sea lions, we'll get back on our boat and head for Kicker Rock where we'll either snorkel or dive around the remains of an underwater volcano with a rock face rising 500 feet above the surface of the water (dives one and two). Your trip leader will give you a full briefing and then we'll take to the water to explore the walls of the volcano. We'll see sea lions and manta rays as they skirt the edges of Kicker Rock – they're everywhere! Later on today we can hike to Frigate Hill Lookout to see the acrobatics of the local frigate birds as they dart around the cliff tops stealing the catch from other birds. Or you can check out the interpretation centre to learn more about the history and biology of the area.
ACCOMMODATION: Casablanca Hotel, San Cristobal (B,L)

Saturday - Snorkel Floreana Island, visit pink flamingos
After an early breakfast, our little boat will take us away from San Cristobal Island to Champions Islet near the magnificent Floreana Island. Floreana is the sixth biggest island in the Galapagos chain and one of the least inhabited (by humans at least!). With a population of around 70 and only one phone on the whole island, this place has a pretty relaxed atmosphere. On the way, we're often visited by friendly dolphins so keep an eye out! Here we'll be doing some more amazing snorkelling in an area that's home to eagle rays, moray eels, harmless Galapagos sharks and thousands of tropical fish species. This is one of the most amazing snorkelling excursions you're likely to do anywhere in the world, it's brilliant! From here, we'll travel to Isabela Island where we'll take a short walk to a local pink flamingo colony before relaxing at our accommodation and enjoying an evening drink on the beach.
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel La Laguna, Isabela Island (B,L,D)

Sunday - Hike Sierra Negra Volcano
Our hike today will take us to the summit of Sierra Negra Volcano, rising nearly a mile above the ocean. See the lowland vegetation change before your eyes as we ascend into a lunar landscape on our way to the top. It's quite a hike to the top of the volcano, but the views across the seven mile wide crater and surrounding coastline are worth the climb! This is the world's second largest volcanic crater, so it's an incredible sight. As we hike, we might be lucky enough to see Galapagos hawks, short-eared owls, finches and fly-catchers that inhabit this region. When we get back from our hike, we'll head to Beto's beachside bar to toast the setting sun over the Pacific.
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel La Laguna, Isabela Island (B,L,D)

Phil: "Beto's bar on the beach at Puerto Villamil is one of the best places in the world to chill out! Relax in a hammock and watch water lapping on the beach as the sun goes down."

Tuesday - Hike Santa Cruz highlands and Tortuga Bay, visit giant tortoises
We'll depart Isabela Island early this morning bound for Santa Cruz Island, where we'll hike into the amazing cloud forest highlands. On the way to the summit of Cerro Crocker we'll have another chance to see giant tortoises in their natural environment, along with intriguing birdlife like the vermillion flycatcher. We'll take a look inside the lava tunnels scattered throughout the highlands. These tunnels were formed by petrified lava flowing underneath the Earth's surface, carving out large cylindrical caves. Some are almost a mile long! This afternoon we'll hike to Tortuga Bay, one of the most stunning beaches in the Galapagos, where we'll have the option of trying our hand at bodyboarding or surfing, or just lounging around on incredibly fine sand. Tortuga Bay is accessible only by foot and is home to hundreds of prehistoric-looking marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies and pelicans.
ACCOMMODATION: Puerto Ayora lodgings, Santa Cruz Island (B,L,D)

Wednesday - Visit Charles Darwin Research Station, snorkel Santa Fe Island
This morning we'll take a short walk to the Charles Darwin Research Station. Founded in 1959, this fascinating centre is dedicated to the conservation of the Galapagos and its ecosystems. The station has a team of more than two hundred scientists, research students and support staff from all over the world. We'll learn the full life cycle of the giant tortoise from the experts, walk through their enclosures, and meet the Galapagos giants face to face! Our island-hopping continues this afternoon as we make our way past Santa Fe Island for our final snorkel of the trip in Las Tijeretas, one of Charles Darwin's first stops in the Galapagos. From the surface you'll have clear views of the most beautiful tropical fish species in the world. Our trip leaders know these spots like the backs of their hands and will point out the subtleties of this amazing reef ecosystem as we observe from the surface. Later we'll return to San Cristobal Island for dinner together before leaving the islands tomorrow.
ACCOMMODATION: Casablanca Hotel, San Cristobal (B,L,D)

Thursday - Optional hike, return to Quito
You'll have the morning free to explore San Cristobal. There are beaches, a museum and short hikes in the area, and your trip leader will fill you in on the best activities around the island. Then it's a short flight back to Quito on the mainland where we'll share our final dinner together this evening.
ACCOMMODATION: Character Hotel, Quito (B,L,D)

Sunday - Quito, depart for home
Today is the last day of your trip around the Galapagos Islands with ACTIVE SOUTH AMERICA. If you have a flight today, we'll be sure to get you back to the airport on time. You'll return home relaxed and refreshed from all the great activities, fine food and friendly people you will have met while travelling with us in the Galapagos. (B)

What's included and other important information for the Tortuga trip

ACTIVE SOUTH AMERICA is a member of the International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA) and supports a variety of their wildlife conservation projects in the Galapagos Islands